- ABC7, KCAL, FOX 11, KCOP and KDOC transmit on VHF; make sure your antenna receives VHF.
- Several stations share one RF channel through channel-sharing agreements.
- Licenses name towns from Ventura to Twentynine Palms; programs aim at the whole market.
Free broadcast TV in Los Angeles covers the major networks, two big public broadcasters, Spanish- and Asian-language stations, religious and independent channels, and dozens of subchannels. This guide lists the main stations, checked against the FCC’s Public Inspection File and each station’s own website.
The major stations
| You tune to | Call letters | How the station describes itself | RF channel | FCC license names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | KCBS-TV | CBS Los Angeles | 31 | Los Angeles |
| 4 | KNBC | NBC4 Los Angeles | 36 | Los Angeles |
| 5 | KTLA | KTLA 5; The CW on 5.1 | 35 | Los Angeles |
| 7 | KABC-TV | ABC7 Los Angeles | 7 (VHF) | Los Angeles |
| 9 | KCAL-TV | Part of CBS Los Angeles | 9 (VHF) | Los Angeles |
| 11 | KTTV | FOX 11 Los Angeles | 11 (VHF) | Los Angeles |
| 13 | KCOP-TV | – | 13 (VHF) | Los Angeles |
Notice how many of these are on VHF. Under the FCC’s public files, KABC-TV, KCAL-TV, KTTV and KCOP-TV transmit on RF channels 7, 9, 11 and 13, and KDOC-TV, listed below, on RF 12. Plenty of thin indoor antennas are designed mainly for UHF. If ABC7 or FOX 11 refuses to come in while everything else does, the antenna’s VHF performance is the first thing to check. See The Best TV Antenna for Los Angeles: VHF, Mount Wilson and Placement.
Public, Spanish-language and independent stations
| You tune to | Call letters | What we confirmed | RF channel | Licensed to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | KSCI | – | 18 | Long Beach |
| 28 | KCET | Licensee: Public Media Group of Southern California | 28 | Los Angeles |
| 34 | KMEX-DT | Univision 34 Los Angeles | 34 | Los Angeles |
| 44 | KXLA | – | 30 | Rancho Palos Verdes |
| 46 | KFTR-DT | Licensee: UniMas Los Angeles | 29 | Ontario |
| 50 | KOCE-TV | PBS SoCal | 18 | Huntington Beach |
| 52 | KVEA | Telemundo 52 Los Angeles | 25 | Corona |
| 56 | KDOC-TV | – | 12 (VHF) | Anaheim |
| 57 | KJLA | – | 30 | Ventura |
| 58 | KLCS | Licensee: Los Angeles Unified School District | 28 | Los Angeles |
A dash means the station’s own website did not tell us how it brands itself, so we did not guess.
Shared channels
Several pairs of stations share one RF channel: KCET and KLCS on 28, KSCI and PBS SoCal’s KOCE-TV on 18, and KXLA and KJLA on 30. Under channel sharing, two licensed stations carry their programs in one transmitted signal. If you receive one of a pair, you will almost always receive the other.
Tip: After a scan, write down every channel you receive, including subchannels. If one disappears later, you will know whether to rescan or to check the antenna.
Where the signals come from
Most Los Angeles TV signals come from the mountains above the city. When the 2009 Station Fire threatened the area, NBC4 and ABC7 reported that nearly all of the 22 Los Angeles TV stations transmit from Mount Wilson and nearby mountaintop sites such as Mount Lukens. That is why reception depends so much on whether your home has a line of sight to the San Gabriel Mountains. Valleys and canyons on the far side can be tricky; see TV Reception in the San Fernando Valley: Why It Is Different and How to Fix It.
Subchannels
Most stations carry more than one program stream, shown as decimal channels such as 5.2 on KTLA. KTLA, for example, lists The CW on 5.1 and four additional services on 5.2 through 5.5. PBS SoCal says it broadcasts on seven channels over the air, including PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus. Subchannel line-ups change more often than main channels.
How to scan
- Connect the antenna to the TV’s antenna input.
- Open the setup or channel menu and choose the automatic channel scan, selecting antenna or air if asked.
- Let it finish, then check that the VHF stations, 7, 9, 11 and 13, appear.
- Rescan whenever a station disappears.
Next steps
For news without an antenna, read How to Watch Los Angeles Local News Without Cable. For Spanish-language and Asian-language stations, see Spanish-Language TV and Radio in Los Angeles and Asian-Language TV and Radio in Los Angeles: Chinese, Korean and More.
Licensed outside L.A.
Several stations have license towns well outside the city, from Ventura and Corona to Twentynine Palms, yet aim their programs at the whole market. Telemundo 52’s license names Corona and PBS SoCal’s names Huntington Beach. The license town is a legal detail; what decides reception is the transmitter site and the terrain between it and you.
If you are new to Los Angeles
Start with a scan and this list side by side. Within a few minutes you will know which stations reach your home clearly, which need a better antenna or a better window, and which you can stream instead. Then save your favorites in the TV’s channel list so the scan’s long list of subchannels does not get in the way.
Keep this list handy for the next time a channel disappears. Rescan first; if the station is still missing, check whether its channel-sharing partner is also gone, which points to the signal rather than your setup.